Baseball
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Hardee's Tennessee-Georgia Baseball Classic preview
The North Georgia/Chattanooga area has always been a hotbed for high school baseball talent and this past spring was no exception.
A great deal of that talent has been invited to BellSouth Park on June 27 as Tennessee and Georgia will clash in the annual Hardee's All-Star Classic.
The day will begin with the second annual Futures Game. The nine-inning game, featuring some of the rising stars in the area, will start at 2 p.m. That game will be followed by the nine-inning Senior Game, showcasing some of the top senior talent from the Class of 2006.
Plenty of offensive power will be on display in this year's Futures Game.
Tennessee will be led at the plate by two of the top three homerun hitters in the Chattanooga area. Notre Dame's Sam Eberle had a breakout year with 11 homers and his .511 average was one of the area's best. Lookout Valley's Cory Reagan had a huge year for Yellow Jackets with 10 homers and 47 RBIs to go with his .410 average.
A number of other Volunteer State players batted over .400 this season, including Meigs County's Tyler Roberts (.469), Baylor's Zeth Stone (.421), East Ridge's Andrew Root (.414) and Cleveland Jay Bolen (.404).
On the Georgia side, Calhoun's Jarrett Didrick also had a breakout year by batting a whopping .534 with 11 doubles and 29 runs driven in. Gordon Lee's Jake Sharrock hit .429 with seven homers, 29 RBIs and an on-base percentage nearing .800. Other top sluggers include Gordon Lee's Zack DeBord (7 HRs) and Patrick Mattos (6 HRs) and Calhoun's Charlie Culberson (5 HRs).
Some of the area's best pitchers will take the mound. Red Bank's Josh Barrett had a 1.53 earned run average in 2006. Roberts was 6-0 with a 1.14 ERA while Walker Valley's Zach Driggers was 7-1 with a 1.32 ERA.
Georgia will also have its fair share of arms. Gordon Lee's duo of Tyler Beesley and Dane Anderson combined for nine wins and nearly 100 strikeouts. Dade County's Dustin Middleton won four games with a 1.80 ERA and 70 strikeouts.
Other Tennessee standouts include the Ooltewah trio of Jeremy Woods, Ryan Williams and Cody Owen; Bradley Central's Cory Davidson; Notre Dame's Tyler Cooper and Carson Courter and the McCallie trio of B.J. Coleman, Brogan Jayne and Josh McKinney.
Among those also invited from Georgia are Ringgold's Tyler Covington, Matt Kolwyck and Drew Walker; LFO's Logan Hixon and Dexter Scudgins; LaFayette's Clayton Chandler and Andy Rogers; Ridgeland's Alex Napier and Blake Hixson and Benji Farr and Lyle Allen from Class AAA power Cartersville.
Tennessee won the inaugural Futures Game 9-7 at BellSouth last June.
The nightcap will display college signees from all levels as Tennessee and Georgia square off in the fifth annual Senior Game.
The Volunteer State offense will be paced by six hitters that all finished 2006 hitting .450 or better.
Future Walters State players Zack Woods (Ooltewah) had a tremendous senior campaign with a .526 average, nine homeruns and an area-best 60 RBIs. Chattanooga State signee Coty Green hit .500 for state champion and nationally-ranked Baylor and added 57 RBIs.
Green's Baylor teammate Trey Dyer hit .483 for the Red Raiders. ETSU-bound Tanner Moore (McCallie) hit .480 with nine homers while future Chattanooga State catcher Beau Geren (Red Bank) hit .458 for the Lions.
Georgia has its share of sluggers as well, three of whom will suit up for the nationally-ranked Chattanooga State Tigers next spring. Ridgeland's Scott Guest hit an area-best .565 with five homers and 31 RBIs. Teammate Michael Gay hit .355 with five homers and 26 RBIs while Southeast Whitfield's Michael Rangel hit .346 with 11 doubles and 18 RBIs.
Dalton's Clint Harkins finished his senior year with a .472 mark, five homers and 27 RBIs while Pepperell's Jake Broome hit .461 with a pair of homers and 24 RBIs.
Among the top pitchers for Tennessee will be Kentucky signee Tyler Henry (Red Bank) who had a 2.29 ERA. Kennesaw State signee Kyle Clayton (Cleveland) was 8-1 with a microscopic 0.89 ERA. Chattanooga Christian's Braden Scott was 8-0 with a 1.65 ERA while Walker Valley's Ryan Fraser was 7-0 with 71 strikeouts and a 1.32 ERA.
Georgia will counter with UNC-Asheville signee Heath Lock (Southeast Whitfield), who finished 2006 with 102 Ks and a 1.58 ERA. Lock broke five school records this spring and holds nine Raider records overall.
Chattanooga State signee Thomas Gray (Ringgold) was a bulldog for the Tigers, going 7-2 with a 1.39 ERA. Armstrong Atlantic signee Blake Culberson (Gordon Central) went 6-2 for the Warriors with a fastball consistently clocked in the mid-high 80s.
Other top Tennessee invitees include MTSU signee Blake McDade (Ooltewah), Lee University signee Hunter Hydas (Ooltewah), Tennessee Tech signee Jared Dobbs (Soddy-Daisy) and Carson-Newman signees Michael Brown (Baylor) and Wes McIntyre (Soddy-Daisy).
Among the Georgia players invited are Shorter College signees Lee Lunsford (Ridgeland) and Brandon Lovering (Pepperell); Covenant College signees Austin Brock and Cody Long (Northwest Whitfield); LaFayette's Zach Carrell, Levi Scott and Clint Cleveland and a Cartersville quartet of Will Davis, Scottie Morris, Drew Carnes and Tyler Gilreath.
Major League draft picks Kyler Burke (1st round, San Diego) from Ooltewah and Tom Hickman (2nd round, Florida) from Pepperell were both invited to play, but will not be participating after signing recently pro contracts.
Although the games have been close, Tennessee leads the series 4-0, including a 9-4 win last year. Two of Tennessee's first three wins came by two runs or less.
Among those who have played in the Classic in the past four years include MTSU's Myles Ervin (Notre Dame), Kennesaw State's Jacob Robbins (Calhoun) and Adam Cross (Gordon Lee) and recent Cleveland Indians' draft pick Wes Hodges (Baylor, Georgia Tech).
2006 Tennessee Baseball Stars
Braden Scott - Chatt. Christian
Charlie Tidwell - Baylor
Taylor Vaughn - Bradley Central
Beau Geren - Red Bank
Blake McDade - Ooltewah
Andrew Hennen - Notre Dame
Tim Rowland - Grace Academy
John Howard - Ooltewah
Tim Markum - Ooltewah
Trey Dyer - Baylor
Hunter Hydas - Ooltewah
Kyle Clayton - Cleveland
Tyler Henry - Red Bank
Ryan Fraser - Walker Valley
Wes McIntyre - Soddy Daisy
Coty Green - Baylor
Zack Woods - Ooltewah
Tanner Moore - McCallie
Kyler Burke - Ooltewah
Jared Dobbs - Soddy Daisy
Michael Brown - Baylor
Chad Boron - Soddy Daisy
Ian Phillips - Arts & Sciences
Pat Jones - Notre Dame
Jeremy Frazier - Soddy Daisy
John Creed - Grace Academy
2006 Georgia Baseball Stars
Scott Guest - Ridgeland
Michael Gay - Ridgeland
Brandon Maynor - Ridgeland
Lee Lunsford - Ridgeland
Clint Harkins - Dalton
Daniel Richardson - Dalton
Nathan Pratt - Dalton
Austin Brock - NW Whitfield
Cody Long - NW Whitfield
Clint Cleveland - Lafayette
Zack Carroll - Lafayette
Levi Scott - Lafayette
Michael Rangel - SE Whitfield
Heath Lock - SE Whitfield
Will Davis - Cartersville
Scottie Morris - Cartersville
Drew Carnes - Cartersville
Tyler Gilreath - Cartersville
Blake Cullberson - Gordon Central
Will Duffee - Gordon Central
Bryan Parker - Gordon Central
Thomas Gray - Ringgold
Chris Lambert - Ringgold
Elliott Stewart - Adairsville
Brandon Lovering - Pepperell
Jake Broome - Pepperell
Tom Hickman - Pepperell
2006 Tennessee Futures Roster
Jeremy Woods (Ooltewah)
Ryan Williams (Ooltewah)
Josh Barrett (Red Bank)
Cody Owen (Ooltewah)
Cory Davidson (Bradley)
Shaun Ball (Central)
Bubba Sells (Red Bank)
Aaron Short (Cleveland)
T.J. Hendrickson (Soddy Daisy)
Andrew Root (East Ridge)
Tyler Cooper (Notre Dame)
Zeth Stone (Baylor)
Will Weeks (Baylor)
B.J. Coleman (McCallie)
Josh McKinney (McCallie)
Tyler Roberts (Meigs County)
Cory Reagan (Lookout Valley)
Brogan Jayne (McCallie)
Carson Courter (Notre Dame)
Sam Eberle (Notre Dame)
Nick Peppers (Arts & Sciences)
Colton Green (Hixson)
Matt Brewer (Grundy)
Chris Hollaway (Notre Dame)
Jay Bolen (Cleveland)
Zach Driggers (Walker Valley)
Coaches
Manager - Gene Lively
Coach - Mark Hydas
Georgia Futures Roster
Dane Anderson (Gordon Lee)
Tyler Beesley (Gordon Lee)
Zach Deboard (Gordon Lee)
Patrick Mattos (Gordon Lee)
Charlie Culberson (Calhoun)
Jarrett Didrick (Calhoun)
Tyler Covington (Ringgold)
Matt Kolwyk (Ringgold)
Drew Walker (Ringgold)
Garrett Burgess (NW Whitfield)
Jake Sharrock (Gordon Lee)
Dexter Scudgens (LFO)
Logan Hixson (LFO)
Blake Hixson (Ridgeland)
Alex Napier (Ridgeland)
Brandon Barnett (Rockmart)
Ben Hawkins (Model)
Jack Moss (Model)
Hayden Hays (Trion)
Kyle Rooks (Cass)
Lyle Allen (Cartersville)
Benji Farr (Cartersville)
Andy Rogers (LaFayette)
Clayton Chandler (LaFayette)
Dustin Middleton (Dade County)
Zach Brown (Dalton)
Coaches
Stump Martin
Charlie Culberson
Rob Covington
A great deal of that talent has been invited to BellSouth Park on June 27 as Tennessee and Georgia will clash in the annual Hardee's All-Star Classic.
The day will begin with the second annual Futures Game. The nine-inning game, featuring some of the rising stars in the area, will start at 2 p.m. That game will be followed by the nine-inning Senior Game, showcasing some of the top senior talent from the Class of 2006.
Plenty of offensive power will be on display in this year's Futures Game.
Tennessee will be led at the plate by two of the top three homerun hitters in the Chattanooga area. Notre Dame's Sam Eberle had a breakout year with 11 homers and his .511 average was one of the area's best. Lookout Valley's Cory Reagan had a huge year for Yellow Jackets with 10 homers and 47 RBIs to go with his .410 average.
A number of other Volunteer State players batted over .400 this season, including Meigs County's Tyler Roberts (.469), Baylor's Zeth Stone (.421), East Ridge's Andrew Root (.414) and Cleveland Jay Bolen (.404).
On the Georgia side, Calhoun's Jarrett Didrick also had a breakout year by batting a whopping .534 with 11 doubles and 29 runs driven in. Gordon Lee's Jake Sharrock hit .429 with seven homers, 29 RBIs and an on-base percentage nearing .800. Other top sluggers include Gordon Lee's Zack DeBord (7 HRs) and Patrick Mattos (6 HRs) and Calhoun's Charlie Culberson (5 HRs).
Some of the area's best pitchers will take the mound. Red Bank's Josh Barrett had a 1.53 earned run average in 2006. Roberts was 6-0 with a 1.14 ERA while Walker Valley's Zach Driggers was 7-1 with a 1.32 ERA.
Georgia will also have its fair share of arms. Gordon Lee's duo of Tyler Beesley and Dane Anderson combined for nine wins and nearly 100 strikeouts. Dade County's Dustin Middleton won four games with a 1.80 ERA and 70 strikeouts.
Other Tennessee standouts include the Ooltewah trio of Jeremy Woods, Ryan Williams and Cody Owen; Bradley Central's Cory Davidson; Notre Dame's Tyler Cooper and Carson Courter and the McCallie trio of B.J. Coleman, Brogan Jayne and Josh McKinney.
Among those also invited from Georgia are Ringgold's Tyler Covington, Matt Kolwyck and Drew Walker; LFO's Logan Hixon and Dexter Scudgins; LaFayette's Clayton Chandler and Andy Rogers; Ridgeland's Alex Napier and Blake Hixson and Benji Farr and Lyle Allen from Class AAA power Cartersville.
Tennessee won the inaugural Futures Game 9-7 at BellSouth last June.
The nightcap will display college signees from all levels as Tennessee and Georgia square off in the fifth annual Senior Game.
The Volunteer State offense will be paced by six hitters that all finished 2006 hitting .450 or better.
Future Walters State players Zack Woods (Ooltewah) had a tremendous senior campaign with a .526 average, nine homeruns and an area-best 60 RBIs. Chattanooga State signee Coty Green hit .500 for state champion and nationally-ranked Baylor and added 57 RBIs.
Green's Baylor teammate Trey Dyer hit .483 for the Red Raiders. ETSU-bound Tanner Moore (McCallie) hit .480 with nine homers while future Chattanooga State catcher Beau Geren (Red Bank) hit .458 for the Lions.
Georgia has its share of sluggers as well, three of whom will suit up for the nationally-ranked Chattanooga State Tigers next spring. Ridgeland's Scott Guest hit an area-best .565 with five homers and 31 RBIs. Teammate Michael Gay hit .355 with five homers and 26 RBIs while Southeast Whitfield's Michael Rangel hit .346 with 11 doubles and 18 RBIs.
Dalton's Clint Harkins finished his senior year with a .472 mark, five homers and 27 RBIs while Pepperell's Jake Broome hit .461 with a pair of homers and 24 RBIs.
Among the top pitchers for Tennessee will be Kentucky signee Tyler Henry (Red Bank) who had a 2.29 ERA. Kennesaw State signee Kyle Clayton (Cleveland) was 8-1 with a microscopic 0.89 ERA. Chattanooga Christian's Braden Scott was 8-0 with a 1.65 ERA while Walker Valley's Ryan Fraser was 7-0 with 71 strikeouts and a 1.32 ERA.
Georgia will counter with UNC-Asheville signee Heath Lock (Southeast Whitfield), who finished 2006 with 102 Ks and a 1.58 ERA. Lock broke five school records this spring and holds nine Raider records overall.
Chattanooga State signee Thomas Gray (Ringgold) was a bulldog for the Tigers, going 7-2 with a 1.39 ERA. Armstrong Atlantic signee Blake Culberson (Gordon Central) went 6-2 for the Warriors with a fastball consistently clocked in the mid-high 80s.
Other top Tennessee invitees include MTSU signee Blake McDade (Ooltewah), Lee University signee Hunter Hydas (Ooltewah), Tennessee Tech signee Jared Dobbs (Soddy-Daisy) and Carson-Newman signees Michael Brown (Baylor) and Wes McIntyre (Soddy-Daisy).
Among the Georgia players invited are Shorter College signees Lee Lunsford (Ridgeland) and Brandon Lovering (Pepperell); Covenant College signees Austin Brock and Cody Long (Northwest Whitfield); LaFayette's Zach Carrell, Levi Scott and Clint Cleveland and a Cartersville quartet of Will Davis, Scottie Morris, Drew Carnes and Tyler Gilreath.
Major League draft picks Kyler Burke (1st round, San Diego) from Ooltewah and Tom Hickman (2nd round, Florida) from Pepperell were both invited to play, but will not be participating after signing recently pro contracts.
Although the games have been close, Tennessee leads the series 4-0, including a 9-4 win last year. Two of Tennessee's first three wins came by two runs or less.
Among those who have played in the Classic in the past four years include MTSU's Myles Ervin (Notre Dame), Kennesaw State's Jacob Robbins (Calhoun) and Adam Cross (Gordon Lee) and recent Cleveland Indians' draft pick Wes Hodges (Baylor, Georgia Tech).
2006 Tennessee Baseball Stars
Braden Scott - Chatt. Christian
Charlie Tidwell - Baylor
Taylor Vaughn - Bradley Central
Beau Geren - Red Bank
Blake McDade - Ooltewah
Andrew Hennen - Notre Dame
Tim Rowland - Grace Academy
John Howard - Ooltewah
Tim Markum - Ooltewah
Trey Dyer - Baylor
Hunter Hydas - Ooltewah
Kyle Clayton - Cleveland
Tyler Henry - Red Bank
Ryan Fraser - Walker Valley
Wes McIntyre - Soddy Daisy
Coty Green - Baylor
Zack Woods - Ooltewah
Tanner Moore - McCallie
Kyler Burke - Ooltewah
Jared Dobbs - Soddy Daisy
Michael Brown - Baylor
Chad Boron - Soddy Daisy
Ian Phillips - Arts & Sciences
Pat Jones - Notre Dame
Jeremy Frazier - Soddy Daisy
John Creed - Grace Academy
2006 Georgia Baseball Stars
Scott Guest - Ridgeland
Michael Gay - Ridgeland
Brandon Maynor - Ridgeland
Lee Lunsford - Ridgeland
Clint Harkins - Dalton
Daniel Richardson - Dalton
Nathan Pratt - Dalton
Austin Brock - NW Whitfield
Cody Long - NW Whitfield
Clint Cleveland - Lafayette
Zack Carroll - Lafayette
Levi Scott - Lafayette
Michael Rangel - SE Whitfield
Heath Lock - SE Whitfield
Will Davis - Cartersville
Scottie Morris - Cartersville
Drew Carnes - Cartersville
Tyler Gilreath - Cartersville
Blake Cullberson - Gordon Central
Will Duffee - Gordon Central
Bryan Parker - Gordon Central
Thomas Gray - Ringgold
Chris Lambert - Ringgold
Elliott Stewart - Adairsville
Brandon Lovering - Pepperell
Jake Broome - Pepperell
Tom Hickman - Pepperell
2006 Tennessee Futures Roster
Jeremy Woods (Ooltewah)
Ryan Williams (Ooltewah)
Josh Barrett (Red Bank)
Cody Owen (Ooltewah)
Cory Davidson (Bradley)
Shaun Ball (Central)
Bubba Sells (Red Bank)
Aaron Short (Cleveland)
T.J. Hendrickson (Soddy Daisy)
Andrew Root (East Ridge)
Tyler Cooper (Notre Dame)
Zeth Stone (Baylor)
Will Weeks (Baylor)
B.J. Coleman (McCallie)
Josh McKinney (McCallie)
Tyler Roberts (Meigs County)
Cory Reagan (Lookout Valley)
Brogan Jayne (McCallie)
Carson Courter (Notre Dame)
Sam Eberle (Notre Dame)
Nick Peppers (Arts & Sciences)
Colton Green (Hixson)
Matt Brewer (Grundy)
Chris Hollaway (Notre Dame)
Jay Bolen (Cleveland)
Zach Driggers (Walker Valley)
Coaches
Manager - Gene Lively
Coach - Mark Hydas
Georgia Futures Roster
Dane Anderson (Gordon Lee)
Tyler Beesley (Gordon Lee)
Zach Deboard (Gordon Lee)
Patrick Mattos (Gordon Lee)
Charlie Culberson (Calhoun)
Jarrett Didrick (Calhoun)
Tyler Covington (Ringgold)
Matt Kolwyk (Ringgold)
Drew Walker (Ringgold)
Garrett Burgess (NW Whitfield)
Jake Sharrock (Gordon Lee)
Dexter Scudgens (LFO)
Logan Hixson (LFO)
Blake Hixson (Ridgeland)
Alex Napier (Ridgeland)
Brandon Barnett (Rockmart)
Ben Hawkins (Model)
Jack Moss (Model)
Hayden Hays (Trion)
Kyle Rooks (Cass)
Lyle Allen (Cartersville)
Benji Farr (Cartersville)
Andy Rogers (LaFayette)
Clayton Chandler (LaFayette)
Dustin Middleton (Dade County)
Zach Brown (Dalton)
Coaches
Stump Martin
Charlie Culberson
Rob Covington
